Student Run Clinic Provides Free Mammogram Screenings

In July, the Medical Student Run Clinic (MSRC) provided 28 free clinical breast exams and mammograms to qualifying women in need in the Sparks community.

At its July mammogram drive, the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine’s Medical Student Run Clinic provided 28 free clinical breast exams and mammograms to qualifying women in need in the Sparks community.

The mammogram drive was made possible thanks to a $7,500 grant from the American Breast Cancer Foundation. With the funds, students in the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine (PLFSOM) rented Mammos on the Move, a state-of-the-art mobile mammography bus belonging to Desert Imaging. The bus, which was parked outside of the MSRC for the event, offers women in rural communities easy access to mammograms.

Once the mammogram results are in, women requiring further diagnostic testing, like ultrasounds and biopsies, will return to the clinic for follow-up.

The MSRC hopes to hold another mammogram drive later this year if there are funds left over from the grant or if the students can raise enough funds to offer a second event. The clinic’s largest annual fundraisers are the Sprint for Sparks 5K run/walk and the Hearts for Sparks Golf Classic tournament.

“We would not be able to provide these critical services if it weren’t for the support we receive from the El Paso community,” said Franz Puyol, a second-year student in the PLFSOM and member of the MSRC’s leadership team.

Located in east El Paso’s unincorporated Sparks community, the MSRC provides free primary health care services, such as diagnostics, blood work and patient education. PLFSOM students manage all clinic operations under the direct supervision of volunteer physicians. The clinic operates twice a month.

Since its founding in 2013, the MSRC has received more than 1,351 patient visits.